Chair



(No Model.) 7

B. S. FRENCH.

CHAIR.

No. 387,586. Patentgd Aug. '7, 1888.

wh essas.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ERASTUS S. FRENCH, OF \VINGHENDON, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO GILMAN IVAITE, OF TEMPLETON, MASSACHUSETTS.

CHAIR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 387,586, dated August 7, 1888.

Application filed January 26, 1885. Serial ITO/153,978. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ERASTUS S. FRENCH, of

' WVinchendon, in the county of Worcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Chairs, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of a chairseat l0 embodying all the features of my invention when in its elevated position. Fig. 2 is a vertical section. Fig. 3 is a section in its lowered portion. Fig. 4 is a plan of the playtray.

This invention relates to a childs convertible high and low chair, comprising a chairseat of suitable construction and a system of lever-frames which may be brought together or contracted to make the chair a low chair, and may be separated or extended and locked in position to convert the chair into a high chair.

The invention consists in the construction, combination, and arrangement of parts,as now will be described and finally claimed.

In the drawings, A represents a chair; a, its base or lower porti0n,to which the seat a may be secured directly, as in ordinary chairs, or by means of rockers a", as shown in the drawings.

B represents the lever-frames, which are jointed together after the manner of lazy-ton gs, so that they will take either position shown in the drawings.

D represents the lock, which serves to hold the lever-frames in their extended position; but a second feature of my invention relates to this combination as modified by the c0nstruction of one of the elements, and consists in the combination of the lever-frames and 0 lock with the base a rockers a, and seat a, whereby a high chair is produced which is also a base rocking-chair when made into a low chair, for it will be obvious that it is not desirable to have the chair a base-rocker when it is used as ahigh chair, and I have therefore applied a catch, a, which takes on pin a, when the lever-frames are extended and prevents the rockers from rocking, as shown in Fig. 2. The links a connect one end of the base a to the lever-frames B in such a manner as to allow the requisite relative motion.

The specific construction of the lock for holding the lever-frames in their extended position which I prefer is as follows:

The main lock is a frame, d, which swings on pins 1) near the cross-rod b and has a hook at its free end which hooks onto cross-rod 1), thereby holding these cross-rods from moving apart-,and in that way locking the lever-frames in their extended position. The auxiliary lock is composed of two rods, (2 d, oneswinging on cross-rod b the other on cross-rod b, and jointed together at their ends, this joint being covered by the sleeve (1 when the lock is operating. It will be obvious that either one of ()5 these locks will answer singly; but in order to make sure that the chair shall not be accidentally lowered it is well to use both, and when both are used it is desirable that the frame (I should have fingers (1*, which lift the sleeve d after the frame (1 is swung up high enough to clear its hooks from rod I), the purpose being to enable both locks to be unlocked by one motion.

The play-tray F also embodies features of my invention, its points of novelty being, first, the rolling bottom f, and, second, the manner of attaching the tray to the chair by means of projections on the side pieces of the tray which spring into holes in the arm-pieces of the chair. The bottom f is composed of sheet materiahwith strips of wood screwed to it, and is wound upon a spindle, f, to get it out of the way. When pulled out, it is held in position by the dogs f. The spin- 23 dlc f contains a spring, f by which the bottom f is wound up when the dogs f are re leased. The projections f on the side pieces, f,of the tray are sprung into holes in the armpieces of the chair or in any other suitable part 9 of the chair, there being spring enough in the side pieces, f to admit of this; and by these means the tray is securely held to the chair and yet can be readily detached and attached as occasion may require. 9!;

The spring-spindle f may be any of the ordinary spring curtain -rollers, such as that commonly known on the market as the Hartshorn. I have indicated the spring by dotted lines in Fig. 4.

What I claim as my invention is- 1. The convertible high, low, and rocking chair, comprising the seat and its frame of usual construction, rockers applied to the bot tom thereof, a base on which said rockers are supported to permitthe seat to be freely rocked thcreon,and the extensible frames B,connected to the base, the pin a on the chair-seat, and the catch a on the frames,operated by the extension of the frames to engage said seat and hold it stationary when the chair is high, and locking devices for the frames to hold them in elevated or high position and admit of their being collapsed to make a low rocking-chair, substantially as described.

2. The combination of the chair'seat, the base (6, for supporting it, the extensible leverframes B, upon the upper ends of which the said base is arranged, the rods ddflconnecting the frames, and the sleeve d, co-operating with said rods to hold them in alignment and release ihem, respectively, in expanding and contracting the frames, and the hooked frame or lock (7, substantially as described.

3. The rods (1' d and sleeve (1, in combination with the extensible lever-frames B, substantially as described.

4. The hooked frame (I, rods (1 d sleeve (1, and extensible lever-frames B, combined together as described.

5. The combination, with a childs chair, of a play-tray having its bottom made of flexible material and a roller upon which it is wound when not in use, substantially as described.

6. Thetray havingsidepieces, f, ofspringy material,and provided with Outwardlyexteuding projections 1'', combined with a chair-seat having arms provided with holes into which said projections are sprung to provide for the ready attachment and detaehiinent of the tray, substantially as described.

ERASTUS S. FRENCH.

\Vitn'esses:

FRANK B. Smyrna, L. E. BATI-IRIGK. 

